Tim Cook Meets Pop Mart and The Monsters Creator During Shanghai Visit

Apple CEO Tim Cook is in Shanghai, China, ahead of the highly anticipated launch of the iPhone Air. During his visit, Cook met with Pop Mart CEO Wang Ning and The Monsters creator Kasing Lung, whose art and characters have gained a devoted global following.

On Chinese social platform Weibo, Cook shared that Lung demonstrated his creative process, sketching characters on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil. Lung is best known for creating Labubu, the mischievous and widely beloved figure from The Monsters series that has become a worldwide collectible sensation.

In a charming exchange, Lung presented Cook with a one-of-a-kind Labubu modeled after him. The special edition features white fur, glasses, black jeans, a blue shirt, sneakers, and even a tiny iPhone 17 in hand. Cook remarked that Labubu “now has her own new iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange,” a playful nod to Apple’s newest color option. Lung also drew an illustration capturing the moment Labubu met Cook, while sharing a selfie of the encounter on Instagram that gave fans a closer look at the unique “Tim Cook Labubu.”

The meeting highlights the growing connection between technology and art, as Apple continues to celebrate creators who use its tools to express imagination and individuality.

Preorders for the iPhone Air will begin in China on October 17, with the official launch following on October 22. The device’s release in the country was delayed due to regulatory approval processes for an iPhone without a physical SIM card.

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